I am a Canadian So I can only speak for my country.I have been applying to jobs for the past few months and I am constantly shocked by a few things.

1. There are so many applicants! Within hours of posting on job sites, there are literally hundreds of applicants for almost every job I have seen. Searching for companies directly doesn't seem to help either, as you NEVER get any communication back.
2. Employers are posting a TON of duplicate adds. I think this is partly because of the issue above, as less truly qualified people apply if they think the competition is too steep.
3. Almost every job I saw requires a minimum of 3-5 years of experience. Positions such as junior automation technician require 3 years of experience and they pay 23-25$ an hour.

Is the job market really this bad? I see that there are a lot of people here who are in really good positions in their companies. So, what do you say about the job market in automation right now, and is it going to change anytime soon. I'm getting quite frustrated. Spending hours a day looking with no luck.

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to mention details of my profile. I am 24 years old and hold a 2-year diploma in robotics and industrial automation. I have been working as an automation specialist for the past 1 year and 5 months.

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